ICF Player of the Fortnight - Best of the Indian spin quartet

[The Outsider]

We are introducing a new feature called Player of the Fortnight at ICF. Here is how things will pan out : 1. Every couple of weeks a category will be chosen for discussing and nominating the best player in a given category - the maiden subject and topic for discussion is the famous Indian spin quartet of Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna, and Venkat. 2. All posters are encouraged to get in as many facts, figures, articles etc. in to bolster their case for who they think was the best and why. Rebuttals and counter posts to points brought in by other posters are welcome and encouraged. 3. Each time, one person - this time Ravi, is going to make the final choice based on whatever is written and presented in the thread. The stronger the case presented for a player, the better the chances of him making the cut. 4. At the end of it all, we'll try to make a nice compilation about the successful cricketer from the thread to have some kind of facts/articles catalog on him. Remember, this is not a vote of popularity so even though there might be 20 people who vote for Bedi and 10 for Prasanna but if the evidence presented is in favor of Prasanna in Ravi's opinion, he'll edge it out!

[Ram]

This is a tough one, primarily because most of the posters here havent even seen the bowlers bowl live. So, its that much harder to present arguments for/against them. But, here is a raw attempt at figuring out who was worth more. From pure numbers alone, Venkat has the least impressive record; 156 wickets from 57 matches, at an average greater than 35, with seven 4 wicket hauls and 3 five wicket hauls Prasanna has 189 wickets at 30, from 49 matches, including seventeen 4 wicket hauls and ten 5 wicket hauls. Bedi pips the rest in the amount of wickets taken, with 266 of them, from 67 tests at a more frugal average of 28, with thirteen 4 wicket hauls and fourteen 5 wicket hauls. Chandra has 242 scalps from 58 appearances, with a relatively higher ave. of 29, with Twelve 4 wicket hauls and fourteen 5 wicket hauls. Just the numbers alone seem to be indicate its a two horse race between Bedi and Chandra. Both have similar no. wickets from similar no. of matches. Both have same amounts of 4 and 5 wicket hauls, which is very important for a spinner. Frankly, its impossible for me to make a choice between the two. So, if pushed for a ranking, I would put Bedi and Chandra at joint no.1, with Prasanna coming in at 3 and Venkat at 4.

[Sachinism]

good idea, but i've never seen any of them play :(

[DomainK]

Well, yes, I havent seen any of them play and I am sure that most others here havent either. The advantage of that is that we start this discussion without an obvious favorite in our mind.

[MundaPakistani]

Good thread! Based on what i have read i think Chandra and Prasana are joint # 1

[ludhianvi]

%2$s

A bowling attack must complement eachother. There needs to be variation as well. Every bowler has an important role and assists in the overall progress of the attack. Keeping this in mind, it can be difficult to pick the best out of the attack, considering each one may have been given specific instructions. For instance, one may be asked to keep a tight line, while another bowler attacks from the opposite end. Having said that let's take a look at Bedi. Note: all the information is basically googled as I have not seen them bowl live. Also check out the pic on the left, just put it there to 'show off' the imgcaption tag :tounge_smile: While the stats have already been mentioned, lets look at some general info; Looking at the bowler with the most wickets: Bishen Singh Bedi

• left arm spinner with a simple action
• "master of deception" He seemed to vary his deliveries quite nicely without any significant change in the bowling action.
• dared the batsmen to go over the top by adding loop and air to the deliveries. Shows to be an attacking bowler and someone who is isnt too bothered to give a few runs in the process of picking up a wicket.
• Most first-class wickets at 1560 for an Indian and fourth highest Indian test wicket-taker.

Btw, Shwetabh your pm inbox is full, make some room please :D

[King]

Good one. Look to see some good insights and not just stats from cricinfo. :winky:

[Ram]

Good one. Look to see some good insights and not just stats from cricinfo. :winky:

I spent 15 minutes compiling that post! :cantstop:

[ludhianvi]

so I won ???? :tounge_smile: Would be good if this discussion can be taken further. Perhaps, then someone can make an article out of this

[h4te]

Well' date=' yes, [b']I havent seen any of them play and I am sure that most others here havent either. The advantage of that is that we start this discussion without an obvious favorite in our mind.

you like you are 80. are you sure? has old age memory loss caught up to you?

[coffee_rules]

Based on Abroad performance, I think Prasanna is #1.

[ludhianvi]

Some stats, the table is sortable. just click on the headings. sorted by wickets by default [table=head;sort=6d]Player|Matches |Innings | Balls| Runs | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ| SR | 4w | 5w | 10 Bedi |67|118 |21364 |7637|266|7/98|10/194|28.71 |2.14 |80.3 |13|14|1 Prasanna|49 |86 |14353|5742 |189 |8/76|11/140 |30.38|2.40|75.9|17|10|2 Chandrasekhar|58 |97|15963|7199 |242 |8/79 |12/104|29.74|2.70|65.9|12|16|2 Venkataraghavan|57 |96|14877|5634 |156|8/72|12/152|36.11|2.27|95.3|7|3|1[/table] Interesting to note Chandra has the best strike rate but with a slightly higher economy while Bedi the most wickets at the lowest economy but at a worse s/r than both Prasanna and Chandra.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

from a personality point of view, bedi is the least liked, cos of his loud mouthed nature... venkat, went beyond being a bowler and became one of the most respected test umpires in the ICC Elite panel... so, my vote goes to Venkat